


Room For Two

by Ellensama



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, M/M, Motorcycles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-05 08:49:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6698044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellensama/pseuds/Ellensama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teenage biker AU inspired by <a href="http://reylooo.tumblr.com/post/143601827198/from-the-art-of-the-force-awakens-jedi-killer">this piece of Star Wars concept art of Kylo</a>.</p><p>Finn doesn't like Rey is hanging around with Ben Solo, Rey keeps trying to assure her friends he isn't that bad. What they don't get is she likes him exactly for that reason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Looking down at her communicator after it pings, Rey smiles easily as her thumbs move quickly to write back a response. Finn who’s next to her looks over her shoulder and watches.   
  
“It’s not that guy again is it?” he asks. “He’s rubbish.”   
  
After sending her message she slips her comlink into her pocket where it pings again quickly. Rey laughs at eagerness of the reply as she pulls it back out, shaking her head as she responds.   
  
“He is but there is more to him than just that,” she says before lifting her comlink up.    
  
Putting an arm around Finn’s neck Rey smiles while he pouts. She snaps a quick photo and sends it along too before finally putting the device away.   
  
“Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it,” he huffs.

  
“Stick around and you could,” replies Rey as she turns on her heel to begin walking backwards.    
  
“Wait, he’s coming now? Here?!” her friend almost shouts.   
  
Rey shrugs her shoulders and turns around to walk correctly. “He’s giving me a ride home.”    
  
“On that thing! That death machine!”   
  
“Come on now Finn, it’s not that bad,” she sighs with an exaggerated eye roll. “He doesn’t even go that fast when I’m on it.”   
  
Finn sputters at her but rushes to catch up. “Not from where I usually stand. It’s not safe!”   
  
Stopping in her tracks, Rey turns back towards Finn. “Are you kidding me?” she says with a knowing look in her eye. “Poe takes you out all the time and does all sorts of stunts!”   
  
“Which I hate!” he shouts back.   
  
“Speak of the devil,” mutters Rey as she catches sight of a  approaching speeder.   
  
They both turn and see Poe glide over next to the walkway. He lifts his mask up on his helmet with a flick of his fingers.

  
“Hey good looking,” he says with an easy smile. “And that was to the both of you in case you were wondering."    
  
Rey returns the smile and Finn looks stuck in between happy and embarrassed. Putting a hand on Finn’s back she pushes him to move. “Go say hi to your boyfriend.”   
  
“I can do it myself,” he hisses before walking over to Poe.   
  
The speeder rumbles in a deep and smooth purr beneath Poe, it’s dark gray paint job with orange striping glittering in the sunlight. Poe looks up to Finn and smiles a little wider, his white teeth gleaming too. “Going my way?” he says with a wink.   
  
“Just move over,” says Finn but he’s quick to smile back as Poe hands him the spare helmet.   
  
As he pulls it on, tightening the straps, he looks to Rey. “I’m serious,” Finn says firmly. “That guy is bad news Rey, but it’s your life.”   
  
Poe looks back at his boyfriend and then to Rey. “You still hanging out with that Solo kid? His whole family is a bag of crazy, my dad works with his mom. She’s pretty cool, but I heard his dad always ends up in some trouble.”   
  
“He’s not so bad,” Rey insist and gets disbelieving stares from both of her friends. “Really!”   
  
“Sure Rey,” laughs Poe before pulling his mask back down. Finn does the same and then waves at her before sipping the speeder away suddenly, forcing Finn to grab onto him.   
  
Watching her friends speed away, Rey gets a good chuckle as she’s sure Finn is trying to yell at Poe. The roar of the speeder lessens, letting her know Poe is back to behaving. The comlink in her pocket pings again and she takes it out to send her location. Ben Solo replies back saying he’s Part way through two chapters is when she hears the rumble of a speeder with its own very distinct sound approach. Rey has yet to hear a speeder sound exactly like his.   
  
Her book goes into her messenger bag that has seen better days, but it has never let her down. In the daytime Ben and his speeder are easy to spot, both in a seemingly light absorbing black In the dark he blends in a little too well and there have been a few close calls of people not seeing them, but they both like it that way. Since it’s too early for getting into any real trouble, it is the perfect time for a long ride out of the city out into the weaving roads that slither through the mountains. It’s a ride that has become a bit of a habit for the two of them, hugging the turns together until they reach the mountain peak where they always take a long break at. Rey swears the kisses they share there overlooking the city lights could never be better.   
  
Wearing proper attire today for riding got her some looks at school but she couldn’t care. It took her a while to save up for her riding outfit but both her and Ben felt better once she had some proper protection on. He had offer to buy it all but Rey had quickly turned him down, wanting to pay for her own things.   
  
Zipping up the front of the jacket as Ben pulls up, unlike Poe he keeps his mask down. Wordlessly he hands her her helmet, the one he did force Rey into taking as an early birthday gift despite how she protested. Rey pulls it on and she can’t help but admire Ben a bit, he looks good where he sits, matching his speeder perfectly. Her own outfit was the very opposite of him, all white and soft greys, but Ben had said he liked her in it. That she looked like some holy being, but Rey was sure he’d like her in anything.   
  
Flipping a switch the back of the speeder lifted and exposed more of the seat, normally it was kept hidden when he rode alone. Having her helmet firmly on Rey slipped on and shifted her bag to behind her. Wrapping her arms around his waist Ben squeezes one of her hands and she squeezes back, a silent signal letting him know she’s ready.   
  
The private coms in their helmet’s click to life, a feature Ben spent in her opinion, too much money on. It’s nice to be able to talk while they ride though but when they really get moving through the tight turns, they don’t have to say a word to one another to know what to do.    
  
“Mount Suna today?” he asks.   
  
“No, let’s go further than that,” she replies back. “I want to ride home at night on the way back down.”   
  
“Kraspen lookout it is,” chuckles Ben.   
  
Revving his speeder a few times, he moves them smoothly into a quick speed unlike Poe’s sudden acceleration. His hand shifts through the gears and soon they are gliding along the main freeway running through the city. Rey watches as they slip past the other repulsor and hover crafts easily. There are a few other speeders too, most look to be on their way home from work but all take a glance their way at some point. Ben’s speeder is a one of a kind, so heavily modified that more than a few people have offered good money for. Every time anyone does, they get a firm not for sale from Ben.   
  
Lifting his hand up he gives a quick wave to a fellow rider before gunning his speeder faster. When they pass the city limits is when Ben really turns on the power. She’d never be able to tell her friends about this, about how she feels pressed to his back and the air whipping past them. How it thrills her when they slip off the freeway and onto the back roads, just ahead awaiting them the twists and turns she dreams about some nights. Someday Rey hopes to get her own speeder, one she’ll build with her own hands like Ben. They ride together, her trailing behind him or maybe even ahead of. For now they ride together and move as one, a perfect team.   
  
The first turn quickly approaches and they lean into, tilting so much their knees hover near the ground. Rey’s blood starts to pump loudly in her ears and she couldn’t be happier. They take each turn skillfully and even pass a few other speeders on the way up who are coming back down the mountain. They zip past one another, two blurs of stark contrasting color flying along the side of the mountain. After all the turns she feels a touch dizzy from the adrenalin but when they reach one of the few straightaways Rey knows to grip him tighter.   
  
“Hold on,” he still says and Rey breathes in, hungry for the speed.   
  
Making his way through the gears quickly, her grip tightens further on Ben as speeder roars under them. The air cuts but they move smoothly through it, the speeder barely quivering at all. The straightaway ends too quickly and she is pushed into his back as Ben brakes. A laugh rolls out of her and then she hears him chuckling too as they lean into the next corner.   
  
Passing the turn off for the peak they head deeper into mountain range just to the north. Far in the distance she can see the tops of some of taller mountains capped white with snow. Lifting her head up, Rey thinks about what the view must look up there and hopes maybe they can hike them when the weather is better. The view vanishes as they fly into a canyon, it’s walls high and deep. The rocks close in but that doesn’t stop Ben, he only pushes on harder and she gladly follows.    
  
When they reach they intended lookout, Rey feels tired but relaxed. It’s something they share in common, the need to burn off all the extra energy that seems hum under their skin. Ben turns off his speeder and Rey slips off the back as it starts to cool, pinging softly in the air. She pulls her helmet off and watches Ben do the same, his hair fluffing up but sticking to his face from the sweat he’s perspired. He runs a gloved hand through it, shaking it out and letting the wind cool his skin.   
  
With a curling of his fingers he beacons Rey closer and she comes without a fight. They kiss slowly as she puts one of her own hands into his hair, holding gently onto it. Unlike the speed he likes to travel at, Ben kisses her slowly and Rey wonders where and how he got so good at it. He never talks much about himself or his family troubles, she’s wondered if he’s had many girlfriends before her despite him trying to reassure her he has not.

  
They part slowly and Ben kicks out the stand to gets off the speeder. He stretches his back, a little sore from being hunched over for so long. She wonders how long he had been riding around before picking her up, her best guess is for at least a while by the low groan he makes. Putting his helmet down on the bike’s seat, Rey’s joins hers with his and together they walk over to a large flat rock. Below they can easily see the road that winds its way back before going straight towards the heart of the city. In the distant the sun it setting but the distant star still has a bit to go before it truly starts to become sunset. There is only the wind and a few songbirds that Rey can hear, the peace she feels is hard to describe but it settles deep in her chest, helping her breathe easier.   
  
Enjoying the view for a while, they slip into a quiet and spaced out conversation about the past few days. His gaze turns to Rey when she mentions Poe, the two having known each other since childhood and share what she would call a friendly rivalry. They were also known to race sometimes, the score never really known to either but from what Rey has seen, it seems tied.   
  
“My dad came home last night,” says Ben sounding a touch tired.   
  
Leaning her head on his shoulder, Rey looks up at him. “Late?”    
  
He nods and runs a gloved hand over his face. “Yeah, my mom yelled at him. In that quiet short of shouting they do when they think I’m asleep.”   
  
“I thought you were going to move out?”   
  
Putting his hands in his lap, Ben starts to tug off his gloves. “I should but I can’t leave my mom. I know she would be fine but she really won’t, not that she would ever show it. The way she looks at me from time to time, it’s as if she’s waiting for me to turn out like my dad.”    
  
Slipping her bare hand into his, their fingers close around one another. “Why does he do it, doesn’t he know it hurts you two?” asks Rey.   
  
Ben’s thumb strokes the back of her hand and he presses a kiss to the top of her head. Even in his riding uniform he smells good and Rey leans in a little closer to catch more of his cologne.   
  
“It’s just who he is, my dad can’t stay still,” mutters Ben. “With my speeder it’s easy for my mom to think that I could be him. Of course I want to go traveling but I wouldn’t ever just up and leave like he does.”   
  
“Not without me,” says Rey with a smile.    
  
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he chuckles back.   
  
The return ride is just what she hoped for. Ben and his speeder blend into the night while Rey looks to be flying through it, like a white bird free from all the worries they are rushing back to. As they go even faster, Rey wonders if they’ll keep going on through the night. Just work their way back through the city and out to the other side. In the end Ben does the respectable thing despite what most people think of him, he takes her home.   
  
Rey gets off his speeder and wishes silently one day they both can ride west until they reach the ocean she’s never seen. He lifts up his mask and she gives back her helmet. Of course Rey could take it with her but it acts like a promise between them, that he’ll have to return it to her, that they’ll ride together again. After sharing a short kiss it feels like a promise for more later, or at least tomorrow.   
  
“Are we still on for the lake?” he asks and Rey smiles while nodding yes.   
  
“See you tomorrow?” she says.   
  
He flashes his own secret smile and Rey wonders if she’s the only one who gets to see him do that. He flicks down his mask and she watches him slip off into the night. His figure vanishes with his speeder but she can still hear the echo of him. Cupping a hand to her ear Rey waits and listens for him to shift gears before powering back onto the freeway. His speeder roars, drowning out all other crafts until it fades slowly into the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s easy to think life will stay the same when day after day the same occurs without much change. When Rey gets a call from Poe he sound’s out of breath and fear grips her heart with some instinct she never knew she had.

“Rey,” he exhales and in the background she can hear a mess of people speaking. “There’s been an accident.”

It’s hard not to just run across the city to the hospital but somehow in the haze of terror that grips her Rey finds someone to bring her instead. Ben’s uncle Luke is a strange person, someone she hasn’t talked to much before but his eyes are kind and he doesn’t break every speed law getting them there. Poe is kind loving friend who sends her the room number so she doesn’t have to scream at a nurse for it. Her legs carry her up flight after flight of stairs because the lift was moving too slow. Looking wildly at the signs, Rey finds the right direction and races towards the sound of shouting. Sliding practically into the open door frame, she fights to breath as she watches a family scream at one another.

“This is _your_ fault,” snaps a woman who’s short in stature but huge in personality.

The older man in the room, Ben’s father, leans down and jab a finger out in the direction of Leia. “ _How_ is this my fault? I wasn’t even _here!_ ”

“ _Exactly!_ ” snaps Leia.

“I would love it if you two would stop _yelling_ ,” shouted Ben as he held a hand to a bandage covering part of his face.

The two parents turned towards their child and soon the room was a mess of renewed shouting. Hands waved through the air and Rey watched as Ben’s face turned red. She thought about how he had to be alive to be able to flush like that, that all of his blood was safely inside of him and not spilled out somewhere. Tears filled her eyes and as if sensing her pain, Ben turned and looked her way. All the rage on his face melted and he looked at her with wide fearful eyes.

“Rey,” he said softly.

The quietness of his voice seemed to silence the room and they all turned to see her watching them fight. Luke had the decency to show up then behind her, looking cross at Han and Leia. He put a hand on Rey’s shoulder and gently pushed her towards Ben. Her feet shuffled forward and she almost fell to her knees at his side. His arms caught her, holding her up despite how he was sitting in a bed.

“Is he all right?” asked Luke.

“Yes,” huffed Leia who waved at her injured son. “He’s fine despite the nasty head wound he’s got there. The doctor's are sure it’s going to scar. What a foolish boy, now he has to live with a marred face for the rest of his life, all for what? That stupid speeder of his? Look at my baby, look at what he’s done to himself.”

Letting out a relief sigh, Luke took his sister by the shoulder into a hug. He then looked at Han who was just staring silently at Ben and Rey. “Who’s she?” he asked.

“The fact you have to ask me that tells how much you haven’t been around Han.” says Luke calmly. “Come on, let’s give them some space.”

Giving his uncle a grateful nod of his head, they exchanging knowing looks as Ben’s parents are escorted out. Free to attend to Rey, he pulls her up into the bed and gets her to settle down next to him. She wraps her arms around him and presses her face into his shoulder in giving out between soft sniffles.

Leaning down near Rey’s ear Ben whispers. “I’m ok, really.”

Turning her face to look up at him with red watery eyes, the fear in her gaze hits Ben hard. “Your face,” she says in a quiet hushed voice.

Shaking his head he tries to give her a reassuring smile but his face hurts too much so all he succeeds in his wincing. “It’s not that bad,” he replies. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“What happened?” she asks while staring at the white bandage.

“Some guy who wasn’t paying attention slammed into me,” Ben calmly started to explain. “I don’t remember much but I knew I slid into something else, I hit it pretty hard and must have blacked out. My helmet is smashed but the doctor said minus the deep cut there’s no swelling so my head’s fine. I actually didn’t have a headache until my parents showed up and started screaming. I’m sure they would have been kicked out if my mother wasn’t my mother.”

Letting out a tired sigh, Ben kissed the top of Rey’s head. “Rey, I need you to do something for me.”

Wiping away her drying tears first, she laid her head back down on his shoulder and listened to him just breathe. “What do you need?”

“This is kind of a big favor but you think you could get my speeder? I know Poe could help, he knows some people but I don’t want my mother getting her hands on it before I’m out of here. I know she’ll have it destroyed for sure.”

Running a hand lightly over his chest covered with a hospital gown, she gave a few quick nods of her head. “Of course. Do you know how badly it’s been damaged?”

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” muttered Ben. “I was knocked off and I’m sure it just slid for a while but I know it’s impounded.”

“I’ll handle it, I can take it to my work.”

Reaching up with his uninjured arm, Ben slowly started to stroke her hair. His fingers glided over the pulled back style she was fond of and he toyed with the idea of pulling one of her buns free but left it all be. “Thank you,” he whispered sounding relieved.

“Of course,” uttered Rey before she leaned up and placed a light kiss to his jaw.

Holding her gently by the back of the head Ben leaned in and kissed her properly. Their lips lightly touched but soon the two were lost in needy deep touches. Licking the taste of her off his lips, Ben looked Rey in the eye, looking deep as something danced on the tip of his tongue.

“When I get out of here, would you go away with me?” he asked.

Shock hit her, making Rey stare wide eyed as she wanted to say yes but her tongue got stuck as the reasons why she couldn’t flooded in. She thought about how she had a job, how she hadn’t finished school yet. Being poor and being uneducated completely all weighted down upon her, leaving Rey unable to answer. Her heart though was screaming yes, she longed for freedom, longed for a life other than the one she was stuck in.

As she opened her mouth, trying to say just one simple word, her hesitation had a withering effect on Ben. He tried to smile quickly but only winced in pain again. “Ah, never mind. I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

“What?” she breathed out surprised at him changing his mind.

Looking away and out of the nearby window, Ben shook his head. “Don’t worry about it, must be my parents getting to me.”

Carefully leaning her head back down, Rey felt her heart start to fall apart. “I want to go with you,” she pleaded softly. “But I can’t, I have school and then.”

“Rey,” spoke up Ben cutting her off. “It’s fine. I know. Do you mind if I took a nap? I’m pretty tired.”

“No, go right ahead, but I can stay with you? Right?” she asked while worried about leaving him alone.

Turning his gaze to Rey, Ben placed a kiss to her forehead and then rested his cheek against her. “I wouldn’t want anyone else with me,” he muttered.

 

* * *

 

By the time someone gently touched Rey’s shoulder, waking her out of a shallow sleep, the sun had sunk low into the sky turning the room a pale orange. Lifting her head up, she found Luke before her with a finger held up to his lips. Carefully she slipped out of Ben’s grip and left him to rest. Together her and Luke walked out into the hallway but she didn’t see Ben’s parents anywhere.

“You love him, don’t you?” Luke asked suddenly.

Rey stared at him with wide surprised eyes. He took her expression as her answer and smiled slowly. It was a knowing and comfortable smile, Rey wasn’t sure how to feel about how all knowing it seemed. Motioning for her to walk, they two strolled the hallway towards the lifts.

“I hope this isn’t too forward Rey but would you like to have dinner with me?” said Luke. “I’m sure you have questions and I might be able to provide some answers if you’re willing to listen.”

“Of course,” she agreed quickly .

On the ride to wherever Luke had in mind for food, Rey had sent a message to Poe about Ben’s speeder. He responded back quickly and with an affirmative, that they would meet up first thing in the morning tomorrow. The restaurant Rey and Luke ended up at was small and quiet, the relaxed atmosphere having a calming effect on her nerves. They ordered first and then Luke rested his hands together on the table.

“I’m sure you already have a plan to get Ben’s speeder and I’m not here to stop you,” Luke spoke in a smooth measured tone. “I care about Ben, his life hasn’t been easy having such independent and passionate parents as his. I think they both sometimes forget Ben’s a product of them so when something like this happens, I get a laugh out of their surprise. There was even a short time when Ben lived with me and I can’t help wondering if my sister is thinking about it again.”

Holding a glass of water between her hands, Rey swiped a finger through the condensation. “The crash wasn’t even his fault,” she started to protest.

Nodding in agreement, Luke pulled a bag of steeped tea from his mug and added in some sweetener. “I know, but despite what you may think or what he’s told you, Ben does have a history of getting into trouble. Just before he met you he started to settle down, since you two have started to date, you are dating right?”

“Yes, I guess you could say that.” Rey offered but knew they had never actually confessed any feelings of love to one another.

Luke narrowed his eyes but seemed to know better than to asked her to explain. Sipping his tea first, he exhaled slowly after setting the mug down. “You’ve had a good effect on Ben Rey, I’m happy for it but his parents haven’t forgotten how many times they’ve had to bail him out. Rey I’m moving soon and I’m going to take Ben with me. Starting over for him could be the best thing for him but I wanted to be the one to tell you, so you know the reason why.”

Feeling for the second time that day like her world was falling apart, Rey looked down into her water and wondered if she could drown in the amount there. Shutting her eyes she fought the dark tempting idea’s and exhaled strength. “When?” she asked softly but her voice sounded on the edge of breaking.

“Soon,” Luke said with clear sympathy in his voice for her. “Not long after he gets out of the hospital.”

“Does Ben know?”

“No,” muttered Luke. “I’ll tell him later tonight, after I drop you off home.”

 

* * *

 

Alone in her small room Rey stared at the long crack on her ceiling as tears fell freely from her face. Next to her, her communicator remained dark and silent but soon that became too much for Rey to handle. Grabbing it up, she quickly gazed at the last message Ben had sent to her and then switched to her saved files. There were a few photos he had sent after she had bugged, prodded, and pleaded with him to do so. It was only recently he started to send her photos without any prompt. Most were of landscapes, places he would stop at while out riding but she did have a few of him. Looking at his awkwardly taken photos brought a bitter smile to her face. She even let out a choke of laugh at one, at how he seemed so unsure of what he was doing and just looked confused. The last one broke her heart.

He had sent it to her just a few days ago, in the background was a waterfall and despite the poor light, he clearly had a soft smile on his face. A smile just for her. Tossing her communicator away on her bed, Rey turned and buried her face into her pillow. She screamed into it, the sound catching and being muffled by the material. Instead of finding relief Rey just felt anger, at herself, at life. Tossing the pillow away, she sat up and grabbed the communicator once again. Typing without fully thinking, Rey put down the three words she wanted to say so badly to Ben and sent them before she could change her mind.

 

* * *

 

Looking at the damage done to Ben’s speeder Poe let out a low whistle from next to Rey. Deep scrapes were gouged all along one side and it broke Rey’s heart to see such a beautiful machine harmed so. If she had been a truly angry person she would have gone and found the man who caused such a thing to happen and hurt him in ways she had yet to conceive.

“Well,” spoke up Poe. “I’ve seen worse. It’ll need work for sure but, she’s not dead.”

Bending down to get a closer look, Rey knew she could fix it but the money to do so would have been impossible for her. What she could do is at least keep it safe and bang out any dents from what was repairable. Reaching out she ran a hand across one long line and tried to picture what the scene must have looked like. Just as the image of Ben’s body slipping along the road surface began to form did Poe shake her from it.

“Come on Rey,” he said placing a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get her out of here.”

The ride to the garage Rey worked at was a quiet one. Just like Ben had said Poe knew someone to borrow a vehicle from to tow the speeder on. He had told her he had a few spills before in the past, all he walked thankfully away from in one piece, but this was hardly his first time transporting a beaten speeder. What was unwelcomed was the unwavering stare of her boss Unkar Plutt from a dirty window when they reached the garage. Rey had been relieved he had agreed to allow her to store it there but she knew he would make her pay for it one way or another. The presence of Poe seemed to keep him at bay and she only needed to share a few words with Plutt before he walked back to hide away in his office.

Together her and Poe stood next to one another, staring at Ben’s speeder before sharing a brief hug. “You sure you don’t want a ride home?” Poe had questioned her.

Shaking her head Rey gave him a weak smile. “I’ll just pace my room, at least here I can get started and fix his speeder as much as I can.”

“I’ll ask around,” offered Poe. “See if I know anyone with spare parts willing to share.”

“Thanks Poe,” she breathed out relieved.

Narrowing his gaze at her, he seemed to see her in a different light. “You really like him, don’t you?”

Her silence should have been enough of an answer but Poe waited for Rey to find her words. “I do,” she said softly. “It’s easy around Ben, I don’t have to worry about him thinking ill of me because of my situation and I do the same for him. And he’s not half bad of a kisser.”

Putting his hands up Poe took a step back. “And that’s my cue to leave. I grew up with Solo, I don’t need to know about that sort of stuff you two get up to. Just be safe, ok? You do have friends who also care about you no matter your situation Rey.”

“I know,” she says shyly before kicking a rock away. “I do. You and Finn are the best, you know?”

Giving her a warm smile and a wink, Poe climbed back into his borrowed vehicle. “Of course I know. You call me now if you need anything else, ok?”

“Ok,” smiled back Rey.

Watching Poe drive away she stood at the edge of the road and looked up at the sky. It seemed so big and endless compared to all the worries and troubles that seemed to always keep her down. The longing to travel under it gripped Rey hard but she took a hold of it, shaping it into the driving force behind her to get started on fixing Ben’s speeder.

It was days later when Ben showed up just after dusk, Unkar Plutt had gone home but Rey stayed  behind, working on what she could. She didn’t know who dropped him off but his light knock on the garage door drew her attention immediately. Without saying a word Rey dropped everything and ran to him. Ben had caught her easily in his arms and they shared a long burning kiss before parting. It was then she got the first clear look at the scar now running the length of his face. Reaching up to touch it, Rey had stopped when she recalled it might still hurt him. Ben quickly took her hand and pressed it to his skin, easing her fears right away.

“It’s all healed now, doesn’t even hurt,” he muttered. “How bad does is it look?”

Tracing its length slowly with her gaze, Rey narrowed her eyes and found it sort of fitting. Giving him a reassuring smile, she leaned in closer and kissed it. “It makes you look roguish, I like it.”

“Roguish?” he laughed and then wrapped his arms around her waist.

Enjoying him holding her, Rey leaned her head on Ben’s shoulder and inhaled his familiar cologne. Ben leaned his head down and just like her, inhaled the smell of Rey’s hair and skin. After a gentle kiss to her crown, he carefully separated them and had her lead him to his speeder. Standing hip to hip and with Ben’s arm around her shoulders, he quietly took in what she managed to get done.

“What do you need?” he asked.

“I have a list if you want to see it,” replied Rey.

Shaking his head he gave her hip a quick squeeze. “I trust you,” muttered Ben. “Just order what you need and I’ll get you the money.”

Letting out a low chuckle first, Rey then leaned more into his side. “That’ll make Unkar happy, I was waiting for him to change his mind at any moment. Then I would have had to try and get this thing into my room.”

It was Ben’s turn to laugh and he did so warmly, it didn’t last though and soon he fell into a sober silence. “When do you think she’ll be ready?”

Letting out a thoughtful sigh, Rey quickly flickered mentally through her schedule. “Next week,” she said confidently.

“Good,” he uttered and Rey got the inkling from his tone something else was on his mind.

She then thought about the message she had sent to him and soon the speeder was forgotten about. Glancing up at Ben, Rey stared at his eyes which were locked ahead. “Did you, get my message?” she asked hesitantly.

Looking down at her Ben seemed surprised and shook his head. “No, my communicator was broken in the crash. I haven’t gotten a new one yet, was it important?”

“No,” Rey whispered and she tried to act like she was tired so he wouldn’t look deeper into the matter.

 

* * *

 

The first time they went out for a ride again had Rey’s stomach is in knots. She trusted herself and her skills but she couldn’t stop thinking about Ben in the hospital with that bandage on his face. She’s not sure if he can tell she’s worried or maybe he’s scared himself, but they take it slow and easy for once. Instead of going up into the mountains, Ben directs them east and they head to a lake just outside the city. It’s all straightaways and wide gentle corners that she’s thankful for. When they stand at the water’s edge that was shimmering with reflected sunlight is when Rey couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Trying to sound light and casual, she breaks the silence and asks, “How’s the handling?”

“It’s perfect,” Ben says plainly but his eyes seem very far away.

Slowly Rey makes her way closer to him and slips a hand into his. He looks down at her and their joined hands, shocked a bit at being dragged back to her from wherever his mind had wandered to. A weak smile tries to form but she can’t escape the sense of dread she’s feeling. Ben does at least meet her gaze, gets lost in it for a bit and then leans down and kisses her. It’s then that he feels completely with her, maybe even more so than their usual kisses. It quickly burns hot and Rey feels like he might just overwhelm her right there and then. His gloved hands dig into her buns and as they kiss almost savagely, his fingers do indeed free one. Letting out a gasp Rey pulls back and looks up into Ben’s dark wild eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing,” he says and she feels it’s a lie but doesn’t tell him so.

The ride back into the city and to Rey’s house is silence and slow. When she’s slips off the back of his speeder her feet as heavy as her heart. Handing her helmet back he takes it and then looks down at it before handing it back. Rey’s eyes open wide and fear turns her blood into ice as she holds it to her chest.

“Can I pick you up tomorrow?” he asks and she can’t be sure if he knows or not just how frightened she is. “Would you, could you stay the night out?”

Trying to keep from shaking, Rey gives him a shallow nod with her head. “Yeah, I could. Why?”

Looking down at his speeder, Ben stares at the controls and gauges. “Rey,” he breathes out. “I want to be with you.”

“Be with?” she questions him not sure exactly what he’s saying.

Looking up and at her again he smiles weakly, but it doesn’t seem to stay on his face and is replaced with a deep penetrating stare. She gets lost in his dark eyes and when he does speak it almost spooks her.

“I want to,” Ben starts to say and she can hear in his voice he’s struggling to speak. “I want to spend the night with you. To… to love you.”

A hot flush hits her hard and fast, stealing the air from Rey’s lungs. Opening her mouth to try and speak, Ben sees her sputter and looks away with shame. “Never mind,” he quickly mutters and gives his speeder a quick rev.

Terrified he might leave before she can find her voice. Rey suddenly shouts, “ _YES!_ Yes of course I will!”

She sees his face go red and Ben doesn’t seem to have it in him to look her way, what he does do is take a quick glance from the corner of his eye. “Tomorrow then,” he speaks just loud enough to be heard over the idling engine. “I’ll pick you up after work?”

“I’ll see you then,” Rey tries to say with a hopeful tone.

Giving his speeder another rev, Ben sits in silence for a minute but then finally looks up and leans towards her. With his tall height he easily closes the space between them and kisses her quickly. Rey’s eyes shut and she feels him pull away before his speeder roars to life. Looking just in time, she seems him flick down his mask and take off with no hesitation. He kicks up a wind behind him and Rey listens like always as he speeds away and the gust wraps around her in a comforting embrace. Silently she counts his gear changes until there is finally enough distance between them that the sound is finally lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be a one shot but then I thought up a plot. Thanks for reading and please leave a comment if you can, they really encourage me to keep writing.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: I tweaked this chapter and will be adding random updates.


End file.
